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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23971531">Something Wild</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZephyrKnights/pseuds/ZephyrKnights'>ZephyrKnights</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Ben can cook, Character Death, Drinking, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, How to write Ben Solo without dark side making him a poohead, Hurt and comfort, Leia is secretive with chilli recipes, M/M, Pregnancy, Rey &amp; Rose Tico Are Best Friends, Rey the engineer, Rey wants kisses, Smut is later, Tags Are Fun, Underage Drinking, Unplanned Pregnancy, angst later</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:46:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,365</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23971531</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZephyrKnights/pseuds/ZephyrKnights</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey is a third year university student, studying mechanical engineering, and lives with her friend Finn and the enigmatic late addition Ben Solo. No matter how much she tries, she can't deny there is an attraction between her and Ben, and holding back from him is more difficult than she could ever imagine. In the grand scheme of things, life is rarely as easy as all that, especially for two wayward souls who are trying to find their own places in the world.</p><p>Especially when Ben is expected to take over his grandfather's legacy...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey &amp; Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. One Tequila, Two Teqila</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It's so hard to write them without the whole dark/light side stuff going on. Hope I did well.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western"> </p><p class="western">
  <em> Tick-tock-tick-tock.</em>
</p><p class="western">She was ice, frozen in place, eyes seeing nothing while her ears almost physically strained, muscle in her jaw twitching as she attempted to tune everything out but the sound of the clock.</p><p class="western">
  <em> Tick-tock-tick-tock.</em>
</p><p class="western">She was so certain. Was she going mad? She had been so, so sure that she’d heard it that time but she’d been distracted so she wouldn’t have put money on it.</p><p class="western">
  <em> Tick-tock-tick-t-t-tickkkkk-tock-tick.</em>
</p><p class="western">“Got you, you bastard!” She excitedly shouted as she leapt to her feet, dropping her fluorescent pink highlighter as she dove to her bedside table and snatched up the cheap alarm clock her foster father had sent her off with when she started university. “Lousy, cheap mechanism. I knew it! I knew you were sticking! Think I didn’t notice you running slow, eh? Well, I got you.”</p><p class="western">“I am sure the alarm clock is totally kicking itself for thinking it could outsmart you, Rey.” At her housemate’s voice, common though wildly unexpected at this point, Rey squeaked and tried to place the offending object back on the table, though with a little bit more force than intended and it slid off the other side and hit the ground with a crash. On the upside, she didn’t hear it tick again.</p><p class="western">“What are you doing in here, Finn?” Rey peered over the bedside table and winced, not looking up as her friend walked toward her desk and checked out her coursework progress on her laptop screen. With a sigh, he then looked down at the open reading material before glancing back up at her.</p><p class="western">“You said to check on your progress. You’ve barely written anything,” his voice sounded despairing, which even she had to admit was apt for the situation.</p><p class="western">“The clock had an out-of-sync tick and it was really starting to bug the crap out of me. I couldn’t concentrate!” She weakly objected.</p><p class="western">“Like the boiler?”</p><p class="western">“No, wait, the boiler was whining, you heard it yourself.”</p><p class="western">“The squeaky hinge on the window?”</p><p class="western">“I needed the window open and the wind kept blowing it. I had to go out for WD40 otherwise I’d never get anything done.”</p><p class="western">“And the music from next door?”</p><p class="western">“Hey, I would never have gotten that song out of my head.”</p><p class="western">Finn sighed again, his lips quirked up in amusement before turning back to her nearly empty word document. “The paper is due on Friday though, Rey. You sure you’ll get it done in time?”</p><p class="western">Finally, the girl stood up, joined her friend by her desk and picked up the book, wrinkling her nose at it. “I’m just better at practical work. Give me a misfiring motor with a split head gasket and I’ll make it sing but don’t expect me to write about it too.”</p><p class="western">Finn laughed. “Unfortunately, the university kinda needs you to write about it.”</p><p class="western">With a defeated kind of huff, Rey threw herself back into her chair, tucked her brown hair behind her ears and pulled the laptop closer. “You just come to check up on me or you here for a reason?”</p><p class="western">She felt him twitch a little by her side and she edged a glance to his face.</p><p class="western">“Bit of both?” he said, kind of guiltily.</p><p class="western">“Thought so. Spill.”</p><p class="western">“So, um, I wondered if I could, ah, have the lounge this evening? Poe’s coming over and I want to try out this Netflix and Chill thing.”</p><p class="western">Laughing suddenly, Rey abandoned her work for the fourteenth time that afternoon, turning fully to her friend. “You know how to use Netflix perfectly well. I’m pretty sure that’s why you didn’t get a first on your last paper.”</p><p class="western">“Well it’s the ‘and chill’ part I’m more interested in here.” Finn and Poe had been dating for almost their entire time at university, having hit it off immediately during one of the freshers events and staying together since. Poe had to head home for the summer as his mother was sick but had recently come back with the start of the new term. Finn obviously had romance on his mind.</p><p class="western">“I’m okay with it. Have you asked Ben?” Rey, still smiling, once again turned back to her depressing paper.</p><p class="western">“He said he’s got work to do anyway.”</p><p class="western">“Well, it is crunch time.”</p><p class="western">Studying to become a mechanical engineer, with some side-dabbling into the electrical side, Rey Niima was working through her third year at university along with her two roommates, Finn Walker and Ben Solo. The year had not long started and Rey already felt like she was drowning under the weight of mass calculations, technical jargon and word limits, all avalanching toward her in a tidal wave of deadlines and misery. Fortunately, so did her roomies and they frequently drowned their sorrows in alcohol which was swiftly regretted.</p><p class="western">For the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening, Rey slaved over her essay, well unless you count the moment she decided to try and fix her alarm clock, failed, gave up and pushed it off her desk in annoyance, until the growling of her stomach reminded her she hadn’t eaten dinner. 8pm.</p><p class="western">She quickly saved her work, checked her word count, grumbled and then headed down the stairs, making sure she avoided the lounge and took the long way to the kitchen. She liked Poe and he was good to Finn so she had no qualms about giving them their time.</p><p class="western">As she entered the kitchen, however, she found she was not the only one in the house who had discovered they were hungry.</p><p class="western">“Oh, hi Ben.”</p><p class="western">As she spoke, the taller, more muscular of the three roommates turned from where he was standing at the stove and offered her a small wave in greeting. Quiet, a little aloof and absurdly attractive in a strange, non-conventional way, Ben had only moved into their house halfway through last year and with exam time and then summer, Rey had no real opportunity to get to know him very well. He was nice enough though and a good drinking partner to her and Finn.</p><p class="western">God could he hold his liquor.</p><p class="western">“Hungry?” He asked in his deep timbre, pointing to the stove. Whatever he was currently cooking, it smelled incredible.</p><p class="western">“Starved.”</p><p class="western">“You can have some of this if you want. I made too much. I was gonna ask if you wanted some anyway? You know, take a break from work.”</p><p class="western">“Speaking of, how’s yours coming along?”</p><p class="western">Instead of verbally responding, Ben lifted his left arm, the one she couldn’t see, to reveal, clamped within his grasp, an open bottle of tequila.</p><p class="western">“Oh, that good, huh?”</p><p class="western">He smirked and took a swig before turning and offering her the bottle. “Wanna partake?”</p><p class="western">The grin flittered upon her face before her good sense had the time to step in and she was up, at the cupboard and grabbing shot glasses before her back-up sense had woken up in time to rally. As she moved back to the table, Ben spooned some rice and the divine smelling brown goop into two bowls and met her there. She tried not to ogle at the stretching of his deep red T-shirt over his biceps as he leaned over the table to place a bowl on the round wooden table in front of her and gave herself a little shake. She was NOT going there, despite how much she fantasied about it when she first saw him lugging his bags into the house, all easy muscles of someone who was practically born with them. She had to retreat to a safe distance until the urge to pounce on him like a feral tiger faded and she was able to approach and introduce herself like a normal person. It had been a while since she’d had any interaction of the sexual type and this guy just screamed ‘do me’ without actually saying a thing but thankfully the voice had quietened over time to a gentle mumble she could only hear if she really focused.</p><p class="western">Like now.</p><p class="western">Eeeeeeehhhh.</p><p class="western">“Ooooh, chilli?” Momentarily distracted from his biceps, Rey closed her eyes and breathed in the aroma with a small smile on her face. “I haven’t had it in years.”</p><p class="western">“My mom knows how to make a kickass chilli but this is nothing on hers. Just stuff I picked up from watching her as a kid before she started to kick me out of the kitchen.”</p><p class="western">Rey laughed. “She hasn’t taught you the recipe?” She took a bite. Delicious.</p><p class="western">His face was blank as he stared at her. “She’ll take it to the grave. Seriously.” He grabbed the bottle of tequila and poured a shot each for Rey and himself. She took hers gratefully but didn’t drink.</p><p class="western">“Yours is super good though,” she glanced up at him as he gave her a small smile. His thick, incredibly touchable black hair was flopped over his right eye, and again, she inwardly scolded herself. Let’s not complicate matters. We’ve all got a good thing here. Chill.</p><p class="western">“You’re actually the first person to try my chilli, so I’m glad you like it,” he told her, raising his glass. “Down the hatch? To celebrate?”</p><p class="western">“So we’re celebrating that you’re a good cook?” She tried to keep her smile to a non-flirty level but apparently her lips had other ideas.</p><p class="western">His laugh was deep, bassy and incredibly infectious. “Well if the way my coursework is going says anything, I need a plan B for when my education falls flat.”</p><p class="western">Rey raised her glass and tapped it against his with a light <em>chink</em> and the minimal splash of alcohol on her fingers. “To plan B,” she announced grandly with a mocking smirk.</p><p class="western">“To plan B.”</p><p class="western">They ate (and periodically drank) in silence but it was the kind that was easy, simple and companionable, the kind of atmosphere that didn’t need to be filled with inane words to be comfortable. Throughout their meal, Rey’s eyes kept flicking upwards to Ben’s face, almost examining it, from his long eyelashes to his full lips, but tried to keep each glance short so he wouldn’t know she was ogling again.</p><p class="western">As she finished her food, Ben stood up and took their bowls, only returning with several limes, salt and a knife.</p><p class="western">“Wanna make this really interesting?”</p><p class="western">Rey never really got along with tequila. Drinking it, more often than not, ended up with the burning desire for the earth to open up and swallow her or with her head in a toilet, and any time this didn't happen was usually due to Rose, her best friend from home, ensuring she didn't wind up with alcohol poisoning.</p><p class="western">She slammed the glass down and bit into the lime.</p><p class="western">Hey, no one said she was smart.</p><p class="western">“Fuuuuck!” Ben gasped with a shake of his head. They'd been drinking for over an hour at this point, having opened a whole other bottle, while listening to Rey's playlist on Spotify, neither of them wanting to go back to doing their work and, at this point, both of them way too wasted to do so.</p><p class="western">The giggle that came out of Rey's mouth then sounded far too hyper and ended in a slight snort, usually signalling to Rose that it was time to pull her from the bar and take her home. Once Rey started to snort-giggle, it was just going to go downhill. Like a boulder. At speed. A drunk boulder. A very fast, drunk, snorty boulder.</p><p class="western">“Ha! You snort!” Ben chortled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.</p><p class="western">“No I don't!” the girl crowed, covering her overheated face. “You can't prove it!”</p><p class="western">Laughing, Ben pulled his phone from his pocket and pointed the camera at Rey's giggling face. “Oi, Rey! Rey! Look!”</p><p class="western">Still giggling, the woman turned her head away, and drawing her knees up to her chest, bare heels pressed on the smooth wood of the chair. She knew it was coming but she wasn't going to give Ben the satisfaction of catching her snort-giggling on camera so, in a moment of astonishing thought process and intelligence, she held her breath.</p><p class="western">Suffice to say, this didn't work.</p><p class="western">
  <em>Snort!</em>
</p><p class="western">Ben immediately stood up, his arms in the air, one hand clamped around his phone. “YES! I am victorious!”</p><p class="western">“NO!” With a half giggle, half shout, Rey leapt off her seat and threw herself at the tall man standing on the other side of the table, without a thought at how she was actually going to get the phone from him, considering their size difference. It was only his drunkenness that allowed Rey's slight form to knock him as far as she did and he gave a laugh as he stumbled, arms dropping to catch her, tripping with the momentum even as he fell, with a thud, to the linoleum, back against the kitchen cupboards. Rey didn't stop there and was instantly clambering over his lap to his right arm which was now hidden behind his back, the kitchen ringing with their joined laughter.</p><p class="western">Ben's arms came easily around her and yanked her along with him as he threw himself away from the kitchen cupboards and onto the floor proper, dropping his phone and kicking it away out of her reach. Arms pinned and straddling him, Rey found herself laughing harder, her head dropping to fall against his chest.</p><p class="western">“Wh... What are you two doing?” Instantly, Ben's arms released Rey as Finn's voice mingled with their giggles and Rey shot straight into a sitting position, still with the other drunk between her thighs and extremely aware of it.</p><p class="western">Surprisingly unhelpful, Ben piped up from the floor with a shout of “drinking!”</p><p class="western">Finn grinned. “Without me? Sounds dangerous.”</p><p class="western">“We got more tequila if you wanna join?” Rey pointed the bottle that was still sat on the table nearby with their two shot glasses, the salt shaker and an alarmingly large pile of discarded lime wedges.</p><p class="western">She almost started laughing again at Finn's sudden expression of distaste, his partner peering around his shoulder to take in the disaster zone. “Tequila is not my poison. Bring some sambuca to the party and you're on.”</p><p class="western">Ben entirely flopped his head back onto the floor. “No sambuca, only tequila. Maybe rum. Whiskey at a push. Whoa, who made the earth spin faster?”</p><p class="western">“With lemonade,” Rey added, making a show of thinking.</p><p class="western">“Nah, neat.”</p><p class="western">“Lemonade!”</p><p class="western">“Rocks?”</p><p class="western">“L-e-m-m-m-m-” Rey started before being overcome with giggles at her lack of ability to spell, ending in snorting and collapsing upon Ben's all-too comfy chest.</p><p class="western">“On that note...” Finn's smile softened a little as he gazed at the two giggling drunkards and motioned out of the room with his thumb. “We're taking our Netflix and chill party upstairs so you can have the lounge back, though you look quite comfy here. Remember, you've both got papers to write.”</p><p class="western">Rey's nose wrinkled. “Thanks, <em>dad</em>.”</p><p class="western">With a eye roll in place of goodbye, Finn left the room, Poe following behind with a little cheerful wave, amused smirk on his ruggedly handsome face.</p><p class="western">As soon as they were out of the room, Rey leapt into action, relying on Ben's drunkenness to give her a head start as she darted off him, sliding under the table and seizing the phone from where Ben had kicked it.</p><p class="western">“HA!” she yelped triumphantly, which faded into a whine of despair when she found herself faced with his black, starry lockscreen, complete with space for a four digit passcode.</p><p class="western">At her disappointed face, Ben suddenly roared in laughter. “You gotta do better than that!”</p><p class="western">His expression shifted to confusion as her face cracked with a wicked grin, eyes glinting with mischief. Not wasting a second more, in case he cottoned on to what she was up to, Rey's thumbs launched into activity, tapping numbers at random quickly and without pause.</p><p class="western">“Are you trying to guess my password?” he asked with a slight snicker.</p><p class="western">“Nope!” Her grin didn't fade.</p><p class="western">“Then what are you-? Hey!” Black woollen socks sliding on the floor a little, Ben lunged forward, one hand reached forward to snatch his phone from her grip. Mission completed, she let it go and backed away with a giggle.</p><p class="western">He sighed, despairing. “You only locked it for a minute, Rey.”</p><p class="western">“For now. Better keep a close eye on that phone of yours, <em>Ben</em>.”</p><p class="western">He grinned and stepped a little closer to her, suddenly so much more stable than he had been a second ago, but she could still smell the alcohol on his breath mingling with the scent of <em>him</em>, dizzying and intoxicating. “You gonna take it from me?”</p><p class="western">They were so close now that Rey could count the tiny flecks of amber within his deep eyes, framed by long, thick eyelashes. She could see every imperfection upon his skin, where he'd nicked himself shaving, the natural pout to his lips as he stared down at her, almost egging her on with his presence alone.</p><p class="western">Heady and determined, the alcohol humming through her veins like struck chords within her, discordant but calling, begging her to break her own rules and join her own personal melody with his, she stood strong(ish) before him and smirked.</p><p class="western">“Do you want me to take it from you?” She was so very past flirting now.</p><p class="western">“I might,” he whispered, his lips a scant second from hers.</p><p class="western">“Hey, sorry I needed to get myself a – Whoa! What we got here?” Rey and Ben leapt apart like both of them had been electrocuted, the latter letting out a quiet swear as Poe strolled easily into the kitchen, face splitting into a wide, knowing grin. “Pardon me, lovebirds, but I gotta get myself a drink.”</p><p class="western"><em>Lovebirds</em>?! The word sent an electric shock up Rey's spine and her eyes sliced back at Ben, who was thankfully turning to grab a glass for Poe from the cupboard. Fuck. So much for not going there. She couldn't keep herself from admitting that there was a definite attraction there, from his side too if his flirtatious grin had anything to go by, but that wasn't really a good enough reason. It was not fair to complicate matters with someone she lived with, even if it was going to be for just another year.</p><p class="western">“To be honest, I'm pretty beat... I have a paper to finish and I'm gonna have a killer hangover in the morning,” as she spoke, Ray scratched the back of her neck, feeling rather than seeing Ben's eyes quickly focus on her though she tried to ignore them.</p><p class="western">“Fair, fair. We'll make sure the volume on the television is at an... appropriate volume,” Poe responded, winked theatrically and took the glass from Ben.</p><p class="western">Rey caught onto his meaning immediately and felt her annoyance rise at his assumptions, even though he would have been right on the money in any other circumstance.</p><p class="western">Swallowing her annoyance, disappointment and lust in one painful lump, she forced a small smile and gave the pair a quick wave, trying not to notice the hurt confusion on Ben's face, before making a swift exit. Once in her room, she pressed her back against the door and let out one huge, shaking breath. She could still feel her alcohol-infused brain muttering thinly veiled insults in her general direction for not mounting Ben like every inch of her wanted to do.</p><p class="western">“It's better this way,” she told herself, stomping moodily toward her desk where the pieces of her alarm clock were still sat underneath it. “No complications. Remember the warning Rose gave you. Never screw around with a housemate. It is so not worth it.”</p><p class="western">She plonked herself down on the cream plush carpet and sighed, pulling her broken alarm clock over to her. It wasn't much, but the reason it was given to her was because she bloody needed it. If she didn't have this, she'd never make it to any lectures on time. “So what if he's smart, articulate, funny and gorgeous in that strange, understated way. UGH! Rose, why did you have to be a stickler about this one thing?” She knew why, of course, and it was due to Rose's own experiences and all she was doing was making sure that her friend wouldn't go through the same thing. Rose had slept with someone she lived with, it ended badly and he got violent, pushy and generally nasty. She'd had to move out and start afresh. It wasn't like Rey thought Ben would do that, but she'd promised and, well, she hated to break a promise.</p><p class="western">Ten minutes later, as Rey was once again getting seriously close to just cutting her losses and throwing the alarm clock in the bin, she heard a light knock on her bedroom door.</p><p class="western">She swore a little, picked herself up and padded lightly over to open it, not expecting the image of the guy she was attempting not to fantasise about, looking larger than life, standing in her doorway.</p><p class="western">“Ben, you okay?” she feigned a yawn, while feeling incredibly guilty about doing so.</p><p class="western">He smiled a little. “I don't know if Poe made you feel uncomfortable but... I was enjoying spending time with you down there. I was wondering if you wanted to come by my room and drink a little more?” He motioned to the tequila bottle he'd brought up with him. “You can say no, of course. Entirely up to you.”</p><p class="western">She tried to stop her eyebrow from arching dubiously, she really did, but hey, sometimes eyebrows had wills of their own.</p><p class="western">To this, he laughed a little, ruefully. “Look, I promise I'm not trying to get in your pants,” he told her, eyes wide and honest. “I just want to get to know you better. Last year, we didn't have much of a chance to talk and I want to rectify that.”</p><p class="western">She was pretty sure that if it weren't for the tequila being in charge of most of her higher brain functions, she would have politely declined, telling him that they could reschedule for after their papers were due in, probably with Finn as a buffer. As it stood, however, the tequila WAS in charge of most of her higher brain function but she had enough sense left over to say “why don't you come in, instead? I do have the larger room.” By quite a bit, she thought to herself. She'd seen his room when it was empty, before Ben moved in and was secretly glad she'd had first refusal.</p><p class="western">“You sure?”</p><p class="western">“Definitely, come on in, but not for too long, I do need to sleep sometime tonight.” As soon as she'd said it, she regretted it, feeling that it might've sounded a little more suggestive than she had intended. If it had, however, he didn't remark on it and only moved past her to enter her room. She was lucky she'd tidied it while procrastinating.</p><p class="western">Her room was a decent size, and was painted in calming neutral colours, which complimented the gentle browns and creams of her curtains, furniture and bedsheets. In the corner was a large beaten beanbag sofa which Ben made an immediate beeline to, his face intent but she could almost see the boyish glee simmering below the surface. Smiling to herself, she joined him, flopping onto the fabric and taking the bottle of tequila as soon as she was comfortable.</p><p class="western">“So, tell me about yourself, Mr Ben Solo,” she said, taking a swig and trying to fight the gasp tequila always seemed to elicit from her.</p><p class="western">He smirked and took the bottle back, his fingertips lingering a little where they met hers on the glass. Her cheeks flushed a little but she tried to pass it off as drunkenness, hoping inwardly that he couldn't hear the frantic beating of her heart. “There's not really much to tell. I'm twenty-four, my birthday is in August... and I study business management, but that's kinda not my choice.”</p><p class="western">“You didn't come to university straight after leaving school?”</p><p class="western">“I took a few years out.” It was nice hearing him talk, the smooth cadences of his voice that seemed to make every word he was speaking so much more interesting than they had any right to be.</p><p class="western">Invested, she had to ask, “what were you doing?”</p><p class="western">He grimaced a little bit, “I worked a little bit in my grandfather's company. Mind if we talk about something else? Like you? What's your story?” He took a quick swig of tequila before passing the bottle back to Rey.</p><p class="western">“Me?” she pulled the bottle to her lips, but didn't move to drink, allowing the heady fumes to drift around her instead. “I'm just me. I was born in England but moved out here to study... um, I'm twenty aaand study mechanical engineering. I love getting my hands dirty.”</p><p class="western">“Why'd you move out here?”</p><p class="western">She finally quaffed a mouthful of the awful spirit and shook her head. “I wanted an adventure I guess? I grew up in foster care which meant never really knew where I belonged and, well, this was the best way to find out, you know? Wow, I don't usually tell people that. Ever.”</p><p class="western">He smiled, kindly. “I won't say anything. Thanks for being so up-front.”</p><p class="western">“Thank the tequila,” Rey murmured, half to herself as she lifted the bottle to her lips again.</p><p class="western">Stupid drink.</p><p class="western">They lapsed into silence then for a moment as they mulled over what each other had both said and not said.</p><p class="western">It was Ben that spoke next, and his voice was hesitant, though not in the way that sounded as if he were afraid, but rather figuring out how best to express his question to get the answer he needed. “How do you go about finding where you belong?”</p><p class="western">His dark eyes were anxious, muddied a little with the hum of alcohol continuing to permeate his thoughts but did not waver from his exploration of her face. Even though she felt unsure about what he was looking for when his gaze crested over her lips, her body felt warmer than she wanted to admit, even as she tried to focus on the question he'd asked and why he'd even asked it. He felt lost too... there was a connection there...</p><p class="western">She passed the bottle to him and drew her knees up to her chest, leaning her chin upon them, looking forward at the back of her bedroom door. “I'm not sure I've figured it out yet to be completely honest with you. I've found this place with Finn, and, and you and so far, I feel more comfortable than I have... in years, in forever.” She smiled a little bit against her leggings and turned her head back to look at the man sat beside her, staring at her with a small smile playing about his features. “It's not much but a start... starting to make my own way, now that I can.”</p><p class="western">“And what is it that you want to do?” He seemed content to let her talk, and she felt able to in a way she hadn't quite known before. She chewed her lip a little and suddenly found the tequila bottle in front of her face, held out by Ben, apparently trying to be helpful.</p><p class="western">She took it and took a long gulp, which she kind of regretted when she coughed. “Fuck!... ah!... sorry,” she coughed as she wiped her mouth. She took in a deep breath again and then took a smaller gulp. “I want to be an aerospace engineer. I've always been fascinated by the way things work, how everything just fits together to create something beautiful and powerful all at once. If I complete my degree and then do my masters, maybe at MIT, I might just get there.”</p><p class="western">His smile didn't change. “That sounds amazing.”</p><p class="western">“So, what about you? What do you want to do?”</p><p class="western">“It doesn't matter.” Somehow, without any perceptible movement, the smile became incredibly sad and Rey slowly placed a hand on his arm, to his obvious surprise.</p><p class="western">“Of course it matters.”</p><p class="western">“Thank you, but I don't have a choice.”</p><p class="western">“Everyone has a choice.”</p><p class="western">He didn't respond after that, only taking the offered bottle and once more, taking a long draught, throwing his cheekbones, jaw and throat into sharp relief. For a moment, she sat there, conflicted and wavering, knowing what she wanted but trying to decide whether it was a good reason to take it. Ben wasn't the man that Rose had had the issues with, and if his stance and attitude with Rey had anything to go by, he wouldn't go into full jerk mode. On the other hand, however, Rey couldn't decide if that was sound thinking or just that she just really, <em>really</em> wanted to kiss him.</p><p class="western">Ben lowered the bottle from his mouth, winced a little and turned to smile a little ruefully at Rey. “Maybe I should – Umf!”</p><p class="western">The kiss probably wasn't as well thought-out as Rey had hoped, having literally leapt at the poor man, but Ben recovered from the sudden assault with an ardour that surprised and thrilled her. He quickly placed the bottle down and, for the third time that night, his arms came around her, but unlike the other times, his embrace was gentle, one hand threading through her brown hair, while the other rested at her back, drawing her in closer as his mouth opened. She accepted the advance and her tongue met his, warring against an invasion that she spent all night telling herself she didn't need, revelling in the shared taste of tequila and chilli, every one of her breaths filled with the scent of him. Every warning exploded into dust, swept away by his fingers in her hair, at her ear, gently trailing across her jaw to cup her face. Her hands were much less composed, lost in his thick, black hair, drawing him closer to her, their overheating bodies crushed together as they both tried to inch closer to the thing they had been resisting for most of the night yet were limited by physical bounds.</p><p class="western">He broke from the kiss to peer at her, as if searching for something, some unspoken certainty and saw the fire simmering behind the surface. A heatbeat later, his lips lifted up in one final smirk before he captured her hungry lips once more, drawing her ever closer.</p><p class="western"> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Tequila Baaaaaaaad</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rey struggles with the aftermath of her evening drinking with Ben while Finn and Poe hatch their own plot where it comes to their housemates' romance.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Quick note that was on my mind as I wrote this:<br/>Ben is written at this point as if he had a good upbringing with his parents which is so far removed from the situation we see him in within the films. If he seems OOC, this is me trying to imagine him in a normal situation, surrounded by kind people, without the darkside making things difficult. Rey also had an experience that was only slightly better than shown in the films. Hope you understand.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western">Morning came. The sun didn't ask if anyone was okay with its arrival, it didn't even give any fair warning about it either, it just crested the horizon and straight into Rey's bedroom window like the asshole it was. She groaned and flung her arm over her face, trying to turn away from it but instead of meeting one of her many feather pillows, she was rewarded with the hard, wide expanse of a very male, and very bare, chest, at the same time as she realised she wasn't even lying on any pillows at all but his arm. It took her longer than she wanted to admit, even in her hungover state, to remember the events of the night before and when she did, even if it were a little foggy, she swore to herself.</p><p class="western">“Good morning to you too,” the deep male voice somewhere above her murmured, sleepily. “Tell me, are you always this charming in the morning?”</p><p class="western">She bit down on her lip and quickly checked her clothing situation, eliciting a rumbling laugh from the man currently sharing her bed. Pyjamas. Thank God.</p><p class="western">“We didn't have sex,” he told her, and she felt herself relax, even before she realised she was relieved. “Remember I told you I wasn't trying to get in your pants?”</p><p class="western">She angled her head to peer up at his face and smiled when she saw his eyes were still closed and his black hair was dishevelled in an incredibly sexy way, all tousled by sleep and last night's make-out session. “I kind of remember being a little eager for it.”</p><p class="western">At last, his eyes opened and he smiled down at her. “You were drunk, though I have to tell you, you were very insistent that I stay in the room while you changed. There are mental images I now possess that I will happily revisit as much as possible in the future.”</p><p class="western">She gasped and lightly hit his arm. “You looked?!”</p><p class="western">“I tried not to but man, you just wouldn't take no for an answer,” his laughter told her he was joking but she couldn't force the blush out of her cheeks no matter how much she buried her head in his arm.</p><p class="western">“Dickhead,” she admonished, her lips still lifted up at the sides.</p><p class="western">With a laugh, he rolled a little so he was leaning over her, pulling her along with him and placing her directly onto her back. She stared up at him, his hair falling like a cape of obsidian, framing his face and arched an eyebrow, still smirking.</p><p class="western">“Good morning, Ben,” she said, finally.</p><p class="western">His warm brown eyes were full of questions as he looked down at her, but the way he gently toyed with the ends of her hair with his fingers was almost absent-minded, so natural and unassuming as if this was the most comfortable thing in the world. She could see his mind, the hesitation to move closer into her own personal space but the desire to warring against it, she could read it in the way his gaze flittered over her lips as easy as she might read a picture book. As an answer to those questions, Rey, feeling only the echo of the hesitation she had felt last night, reached up to his face and carefully laid her hand against it, with a gentle pressure, to let him know it was okay.</p><p class="western">As if a switch had been flicked, he closed the gap between them, his lips crushing against hers with passion the equal to which she had kissed him last night. While her hand drifted up to snarl in his hair, her other arm lifted instantly and wrapped around his shoulder, fingertips digging into his soft, warm skin as her body arched to meet his. She felt, rather than heard, the deep grumble in the back of his throat, a groan of approval at the feel of her slight form within the shelter of his arms. His knee was between her legs, his weight bearing down on her and she let the tiniest of moans escape her lips, breaking the kiss for an instant.</p><p class="western">“We should stop,” he murmured against her mouth. She could feel a hardening bulge pressing against her thigh though the jeans he had slept in and, too, the reaction within her own body to accept him.</p><p class="western">She could hardly breathe. “You're right...” every syllable came out little more than a breathy whisper and with every formation of each word, her lips brushed against his, sending an electric shock through her entire body. “... then why don't you move?”</p><p class="western">He groaned, inching away a little to peer into her face properly. “Because I don't want to.”</p><p class="western">She was shaking her head before she had even made any conscious decision to do so, whispering desperately, “neither do I,” before reaching up and pulling his head back down to meet her lips, surrendering entirely. His hands were upon her then, pulling at her pyjama strap top until she threw it off her form, pressing her naked chest against his.</p><p class="western">“Fuck,” he whispered, hoarsely against her lips.</p><p class="western">
  <em>Knockknockknock.</em>
</p><p class="western">They froze.</p><p class="western">“Rey? You awake? Can I come in?”</p><p class="western">“<em>NO</em>!” At Finn's voice, Ben sat straight upright, even as Rey shouted, reaching for her duvet to cover herself. “No! What's the matter?”</p><p class="western">“You got a parcel. Want me to leave it out here?”</p><p class="western">“Please!”</p><p class="western">“If you see Ben, tell him he's got post too. I got class and he's not answering.”</p><p class="western">“Fine!”</p><p class="western">She heard Finn's footsteps thud away, and with each decreasing sound, Rey felt herself relaxing.</p><p class="western">That was too close. Not that she was ever secretive with her sexual escapades, but this time, with Ben, she wasn't sure if it was smart for the others to be aware of what was going on, if anything. What <em>was</em> going on? Did this <em>mean</em> anything, or was this just the final echoes of a drunken evening?</p><p class="western">Ben turned his head to her, smiling a little ruefully. “Maybe I should go.”</p><p class="western"><em>Don't. </em>“Yeah, that'll probably be best.”</p><p class="western">Slowly, gently, he leaned forwards and softly pressed his lips to hers in one final kiss before swinging his legs out of the bed and climbing to his feet. She watched him as he stretched, reaching up to his full height, his easy muscles shifting beneath his skin thrown into sharp relief and she briefly imagined clinging onto that back as he- <em>NOPE! Enough of that!</em></p><p class="western">He reached down and picked up his shirt from where he left it, hesitating a moment before turning and smiling at her. “I'm going to go get some coffee. Would you like to join me?”</p><p class="western">She bit her lip. “I need to work,” she told him, eyes apologetic. “I should have done most of it last night but...”</p><p class="western">At her words, he grinned. “I can bring you one back with me then. I know we have coffee here but... you just can't beat something you didn't work to make,” he muttered, his eyes gentle, which sent a little shiver up her spine. “What's your poison?”</p><p class="western">“Well as you're offering... I'll have a hazelnut mocha.”</p><p class="western">“Ooooh, a nutella coffee,” he pulled his shirt over his head and sent her a little wave before exiting.</p><p class="western">As soon as he was out of her room, Rey flopped to her back, closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. Well, that didn't go as planned. Strangely though, despite the promise she had made to herself <em>and </em>Rose, she didn't regret a single moment from the night before- that she could remember at least – and this morning had been a headachey but comfortable one, if a bit risqué.</p><p class="western">She was just stretching, a small smile playing about her lips, when voices upon the stairs interrupted her happy reverie. It sounded like Ben, Finn and Poe, but then, she thought to herself, unless there were some very noisy thieves inside her home, it could hardly be anyone else. Confused, and just a little bit curious, she pulled her tank top back on, swung herself out of her bed, much like Ben had done and softly padded over to the door, which she pulled open a crack. She could see directly down onto the landing where all three men in question were standing, Ben with his back to her halfway down the stairs, Finn looking confused on the landing and Poe next to him, as usual, looking downright gleeful.</p><p class="western">“That doesn't really answer my question though, does it?” Finn was saying. He didn't sound annoyed as such, just a little concerned.</p><p class="western">“What's going on?” Rey asked, making her slow way down the stairs.</p><p class="western">At her arrival, Finn then rounded upon her. “Rey! What was Ben doing in your room?”</p><p class="western">Ben grimaced and turned to Rey who had paused and quickly considered running back up those stairs and never coming out of her room again. “I was spotted. I'm sorry, I thought he was gone but he was at the foot of the stairs.”</p><p class="western">“Would it help to know I said 'hey Finn, look who's coming out of Rey's room'?” Poe interjected helpfully. Not for the first time, Rey felt the urge to strangle him.</p><p class="western">“I told him nothing happened...”</p><p class="western">“Well, nothing <em>did</em> happen,” Rey agreed, still fighting the urge to bolt. It wasn't exactly a lie... if you count a lot of making out as <em>nothing</em>. “We carried on drinking in my room, we both got a bit drunk and crashed out in my bed.”</p><p class="western">Ben grinned. “Good bed.”</p><p class="western">“Ben!”</p><p class="western">“What? Girls' beds are better than guys' beds, it's just a fact.”</p><p class="western">“Why?”</p><p class="western">“Well, usually, there's a girl in them.”</p><p class="western">She rolled her eyes with a smirk and looked back down at Finn. “So, are you gonna go before you're late and get chewed out by your professor again?”</p><p class="western">Finn checked his watch. “SHIT!”</p><p class="western">Rey had to admit, it was the fastest she'd ever actually seen him move.</p><p class="western">“Bye lovebirds!” Poe called, following his boyfriend at a much more sedate pace.</p><p class="western">So much for keeping that particular cat in the bag, Rey thought, looking over at Ben who was still staring at the front door that Poe had just closed behind him. She considered asking him if the conversation bothered him but closed her mouth when his eyes sliced into hers.</p><p class="western">“I'm sorry, Rey, I should have been more careful,” he said, softly. “I'll buy you a raspberry muffin at the coffee shop to make up for it.”</p><p class="western">“Make it a lemon one, and you've got a deal.”</p><p class="western">Something about her response made him grin and he leaned forward, pausing a little to search her eyes and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. “Won't be long.”</p><p class="western">Butterflies apparently having a rave in her stomach, Rey wobbled back up the stairs as she heard Ben leave and sat herself at her desk, opening her laptop, loading up her half finished coursework to just stare dumbly at it for a nameless amount of time before giving her a sound kick to get moving.</p><p class="western">She'd actually made some good headway by the time Ben reappeared with coffees, muffins and an all-day breakfast roll each which he brought into her room after respectfully knocking and asking, obviously joking, if she were decent. He placed the foodstuffs on the desk next to her and exited again to reappear a second later with the parcel Finn had attempted to deliver.</p><p class="western">“Two deliveries in one. Aren't I lucky.” Rey pointed to her bed. “Put it there, I'll open it when I've finished this. I seriously need a reward system in place or I'll never get it done. Although, thinking about it, I guess a degree is technically my reward, huh?”</p><p class="western">Ben grinned and seized one of the rolls. “Doesn't feel like it. Anyway, eat. I'm gonna go get some work done too. You're inspiring me to be a better man.”</p><p class="western">With a laugh she threw a cushion at him. “Dork.”</p><p class="western">He dodged the cushion and leaned forward to take one of the muffins.</p><p class="western">“Make sure that's not the lemon one.” she told him with a playful glare.</p><p class="western">“We both have lemon,” he responded with a smile.</p><p class="western"> </p><p class="western">By some miracle, although it was probably the combination of food and coffee, Rey managed to get the first draft of her work done, despite her pounding head. The only thing left to do was pretend to read it though, pretend to spellcheck and then submit, but she still had two days to do that so she just leaned back in her seat and smiled.</p><p class="western">Once again, she allowed her mind to wander, drifting back to this morning. She'd practically thrown caution into the fucking tornado at that point and it had felt so damn good to do so. It wasn't like the guys she'd brought home in her first year, as none of those ill-fated flings felt like anything more than that and never really lasted very long. None of them had really stayed in contact either, which was fine, she wasn't broken up about that or anything... She remembered the way Ben had kissed her this morning and her heart thudded loudly in her chest in a way she was unfamiliar with.</p><p class="western">She was just submitting her paper when there was a knock at her door.</p><p class="western">“Rey, can I come in?” Finn.</p><p class="western">“Sure.”</p><p class="western">He still hesitated a moment before opening the door, his eyes taking a quick scan of the room before entering in proper. “How's the work going?”</p><p class="western">“Done!” she turned to him with a big grin. “I just need to finish submitting and then, I am free... for the next few weeks until the next avalanche of work.”</p><p class="western">He grinned. “Perfect timing. Poe and I wanna have a bit of a movie night with you and Ben, kinda sayin' sorry for kicking you out of the lounge last night. You in?”</p><p class="western">“Definitely!” Rey responded with a huge grin. “You asked Ben already?”</p><p class="western">“Not yet. You two seem to be getting on well enough so thought you might want to ask.”</p><p class="western">“What's that supposed to mean?”</p><p class="western">Finn shrugged. “Nothin'... Maybe a bit of an unofficial date?”</p><p class="western">She almost choked on her own breath, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Wait, what?”</p><p class="western">“You and Ben... was it just me or were things getting a bit cosy with you two?”</p><p class="western">Cosy. Well he wasn't wrong. She thought back to waking up in his arms and felt her cheeks warm a little; well, it certainly was <em>cosy.</em></p><p class="western">She let a small smile drift onto her face. “Maaaybe.”</p><p class="western">“So it's settled.” He stood up and gave her a quick wink. “We're putting the film on at seven. Lots of snacks and blankets.”</p><p class="western">“What are we watching?”</p><p class="western">“A horror,” Finn winked, knowing Rey's aversion to jump scares and gore. “My idea. Plenty of opportunity for hiding in chests.”</p><p class="western">She grimaced. “You on about me or him?”</p><p class="western"> </p><p class="western">Ben opened the door immediately once he realised that it was Rey at the door, his face curious but open. “What's up?”</p><p class="western">“I am here to extend an invite to a most top-secret of venues... our living room.” Rey fought the urge to bow like an imbecile. She wrinkled her nose in distaste at her tone. “Seriously though, Finn and Poe wanna put on a movie night, but with you and me this time... some snacks, drinks and good ol' horror movies. You in?”</p><p class="western">He grinned. “This depends entirely on the seating arrangements... see, there's this girl I'm kind of interested in, and you've already mentioned that she's invited...” he made a show of pondering as Rey's cheeks flushed a magnificent crimson. “... I'm sure I'll be able to score a seat next to her, so yeah, I'm in. What time?”</p><p class="western">Oh. Oh, this was dangerous territory. Her heart was pounding to the point where she could hardly spit out the time Finn had specified, eyes honed in on Ben's face. He was interested in her. <em>Well, duh, it's not like he spent the evening attached to your face or anything... and this morning... if Finn hadn't turned up...</em></p><p class="western">He smiled at her, told her he had to finish his work if he expected to be free by seven and then retreated back into his, from what she could see through the doorway, incredibly dark bedroom.</p><p class="western">She stood there like an idiot for a second before giving herself a quick shake and moving back to the relative safety of her own den, feeling a strange coil of excitement unfurl within her that she was quite sure she had never encountered before. At the same time, however, she felt a wave of fear crest over her giddiness, yet only with the strength to dampen it a fraction with the realisation that she was going so far beyond her 'never going to get involved with someone I live with' rule. It seemed mostly unimportant now, unless she thought about Rose and her past predicament, but Rey couldn't deny that there was a strange sort of pull toward Ben which overpowered her previous misgivings. It was like she knew him, and he knew her and it was safe, comfortable and belonged only to them. Maybe she was being an idiot, in fact, she probably was, but it felt right to be close to him and right now, that was all she wanted.</p><p class="western"> </p><p class="western">Seven came infuriatingly slowly, even with Rey attempting to force herself to play Animal Crossing to while away the time, but when the fourteenth fish snapped at her rod without her noticing, she shut her Switch off and placed it to the side.</p><p class="western">She even half regretted finishing her work so quickly... well, almost.</p><p class="western">Poe was already in the lounge, setting up the two, blue, fabric, reclining sofas with cushions and the households' selection of blankets they kept in a battered wooden chest by the window, his brown wavy hair flopping into his brown eyes. He grinned as he saw her enter the room clad in a pair of shorts and a tank top. Super comfy for a movie night under blankets.</p><p class="western">“Ready to get cosy?” He waggled his eyebrows at her and threw another blanket on the second sofa.</p><p class="western">“What are we watching?” she remembered that Finn was talking about horror movies but was desperately hoping that he was either kidding or that Poe had the good sense to intervene.</p><p class="western">He picked up the selection of films and shuffled through them, listing them as he did so. “We have... IT, the remake, IT, the second one... the woman in black... all the insidious movies...” She tuned out with a wince. Maybe not.</p><p class="western">“All horrors?”</p><p class="western">Poe grinned. “Finn said you're not good with scary stuff.”</p><p class="western">“And so that's all you've chosen?!”</p><p class="western">“Just see me as your friendly, neighbourhood Cupid!”</p><p class="western">“Don't you have a home to go to?”</p><p class="western">“We've got Sharknado too...”</p><p class="western">“I think I'd rather take the horrors.”</p><p class="western">Poe just laughed and continued to sort out blankets while Rey mooched, disappointed to her favourite sofa (the one without guacamole spilled down it, thanks Finn) and settled down into the plush comfiness and tried not to feel even a little excited. Her heart leapt when the door opened and the tall example of the male persuasion entered, carrying a large bowl of popcorn in his hands and two soda bottles tucked under each arm. Following him was Finn, who was carrying an apparently identical selection of snacks for him and his partner.</p><p class="western">Ben grinned when he saw her and increased his speed to her sofa as if someone else (no idea who) wanted to nab the spot before he got there. He passed her the popcorn, secret smile on his lips, put the two bottles of soda on the floor and flung himself next to her.</p><p class="western">“Hi.”</p><p class="western">“Hi, yourself.”</p><p class="western">“Fancy seeing you here,” he smirked as Finn exited the room, presumably to get cups for the soda.</p><p class="western">She mock-gasped. “I know, what a coincidence.”</p><p class="western">Poe was sat, cross legged, by the entertainment system, shuffling through the films again and asking the others what they wanted to watch. Rey filtered it all out; it didn't matter. She'd spend most of the time hiding behind a cushion anyway. She really did not do horror, but at this point she really felt she couldn't object.</p><p class="western">A film was chosen, Poe put it on and dashed to switch the lights off before joining his boyfriend on their sofa, immediately getting comfortable in the dark.</p><p class="western">With the lights off, Rey felt hyper aware of Ben's proximity, especially after the night before, the scent of him filling her nose, the heat of his body through his badly knitted black jumper. She could feel every movement, no matter how small, from him shifting a little next to her, to scratching the side of his nose and her own natural movements felt alien to her. She wondered if he felt as alert as she did, and if her proximity had the same affect on him.</p><p class="western">She shook her head and tried to focus on the film.</p><p class="western">After a little while, this turned out to be a Mistake. Capital letter and all.</p><p class="western">Rey tried not to shriek, she really did, but the squeal that escaped, unbidden, from her lips failed to be drowned out by the sudden tumultuous cacophony that erupted from the TV. Immediately, she felt a hand on her shoulder and, shrieking again, she was pulled down into Ben's body, her head turned away slightly so she couldn't see the TV. Finn and Poe were sniggering, but she could feel no utterances of mirth from Ben.</p><p class="western">“You <em>really</em> don't do well with horrors,” she felt him mumble by her ear. “You okay?”</p><p class="western">“Stupid jump scares.”</p><p class="western">This time, she heard the gentle rumble in his chest that told her he was chuckling. “Come on, the scary bit is over now... you can stay in my chest if you want but you should really try to watch. It's actually a good film.”</p><p class="western">His scent was intoxicating but she pulled away from it, sitting back up and turning toward the TV once more. However, without any prompting, Ben reached out his arm and gently pulled her against his side so her head was cushioned by his shoulder, his arm enveloping her in a half embrace that increased her heart rate in such a way she was sure he could hear it. He offered her the popcorn bowl without looking and she smiled, taking it.</p><p class="western">The first film passed with a few more shrieks from Rey though Ben did not laugh once, only allowing her to hide her head when things started to get seriously creepy.</p><p class="western">“Oi, Rey. How are you with clowns?” Finn asked, looking down at the selection of films once they had all disentangled themselves for a bathroom break and so Ben and Poe could work on extra snack retrieval.</p><p class="western">“Hate them.”</p><p class="western">“IT it is!”</p><p class="western">She almost moaned out loud. “Why? Why are you doing this?”</p><p class="western">He grinned. “You're complaining but things seem to be going rather well for you in the Ben department.”</p><p class="western">Oh, sod off. She narrowed her eyes. “Yes, I'm sure Ben loves hearing me scream in his ear.”</p><p class="western">“Whoa, what are we talking about here?” Poe exclaimed from the lounge door, smile reaching obscenely from ear to ear while marching into the room, carrying a fresh bowl of popcorn.</p><p class="western">“I didn't mean it like that and you know it!”</p><p class="western">“Didn't mean what?” <em>Perfect!</em> Ben followed not far behind Poe, his hands full with a sizeable plate of nachos, salsa, guacamole and cheese. Seeing the food, Finn stood up practically salivating.</p><p class="western">“Nachos? You been holding out on us, Solo?”</p><p class="western">Ben laughed and sat back down. “Sorry, but they're for the lady. She needs some sort of consolation prize if you two are gonna torture her... and I get to share them because, well... I'm her sofa buddy.” He offered her the plate, brown eyes sparkling with good humour and mirth.</p><p class="western">Oh. Oh crap.</p><p class="western">She had it <em>bad</em>.</p><p class="western">Nachos placed on the small end table next to them, the next film started and Rey began it with her body already flush against Ben's, making the conscious decision to enjoy his closeness while it was almost innocuous to do so. She enjoyed being so close to the hard panes of his chest, being enveloped in the protective circle of his arms, his scent, the sound of his breathing – all of it – and could no longer find the will to ignore what she wanted. As soon as the little boy in the yellow coat stopped by the drain, Rey tucked her head into his chest, knowing what was coming, and he tightened his grip around her, his hand shifting a little to grace, lightly, upon her bare knee under their blanket. His touch sent a small shiver through her, and, sensing this, his hand became a little more sure, fingertips gently tickling her skin in a way that was somehow both comforting and exciting. He turned his head a little so his lips brushed against the side of her head, and she could feel each one of his breaths against her overheating skin, finding it to be the only thing she could concentrate on any more. Gone was the terrifying clown on the screen, replaced by the presence of the man next to her and the oh so gentle way his fingers roved slowly up to her thigh.</p><p class="western">She shivered again in his arms and he held her tighter, lips brushing the oversensitive tip of her ear.</p><p class="western">She forgot Finn. She forgot Poe. Nothing else seemed to matter at that moment as they created their own private bubble in the dark, and she turned her head to face him, eyes seeking his in the gloom.</p><p class="western">It was a gentle kiss, so much more so than those they had shared the night before, initiated by him but accepted by her, his hand leaving her skin but only to brush his knuckles against her cheek with a gentleness that made her want to weep.</p><p class="western">Was this so wrong?</p><p class="western">A very Poe-like giggle cut through their moment and they quickly broke from their tender kiss, Rey inwardly cursing at the idiot who didn't even live there but nearly spent every waking hour there instead.</p><p class="western">“I think we've been caught.” Ben muttered gently.</p><p class="western">“I think so...”</p><p class="western">This time it was Finn's turn to comment, laughter in his voice. “I think it takes someone seriously sick to make out while a kid is getting his arm ripped off.”</p><p class="western">“Wait, what?” Rey looked and immediately wished she hadn't, burying her face in Ben's chest again to the laughter of everyone else in the room. “ARGH!”</p><p class="western">Welp. That killed the mood. Still laughing, Ben wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close, kissing the top of her head.</p><p class="western">...Maybe this hadn't been such a bad night after all...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Wait! Is this a date?!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ben muses upon Rey and their situation, while Rey decides to come clean to her best friend.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am so sorry for the wait for this chapter! I hope you can forgive me! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Ben couldn’t concentrate. He stared at the half-finished sentence he’d sort of tapered off on, with no idea how he was supposed to bring it to an ending that made sense.</p><p>He couldn’t even remember what his initial point was.</p><p>Leaning back in his seat, he threaded his fingers into his hair and stared, glumly, up at the ceiling. It was Thursday, it was raining and he didn’t have class until the afternoon, which meant he was left in the house, on his own with no company, no motivation, and had this paper to finish before Friday night.</p><p>Shiiit.</p><p>It could be worse, he reminded himself as he gave his body a quick shake and peered at his essay again, trying to find the will to write somewhere between the lines. He’d spent the first year of his university life in a private dorm (kitchen, bathroom, and lounge included) paid for by his grandfather, along with his tuition, but had found it to be too lonely for him, especially when his comings and goings were closely monitored, but the less said about that, the better. He eventually made a deal with his grandfather that if he were able to ace his exams at the end of the first year, he could move into a student house and finally have some social interaction, along with the freedom to do what he wanted and Anakin grudgingly agreed. Many all-nighters later, Ben achieved his goal and started searching for a place. It took longer than expected due to his awkward timing but, finally, halfway through his second year, he happened across a house with a spare room after meeting a guy called Finn in the gaming society.</p><p>The house was perfect, with only two permanent residents, Finn and a girl called-</p><p>Ben shook himself and again tried to focus on the work in front of him, and not the girl whose room sat right next to his, who was pretty, funny, and smart all at the same time, who had spent the majority of yesterday evening with her head buried in his chest... fuck.</p><p>He groaned and grabbed one of his textbooks, opening it at random and attempting to read the first sentence that made any sense to him.</p><p>Unfortunately, none of them did.</p><p>“Come on, Ben. Focus,” he berated himself, frowning at his half-finished word document.</p><p>Rey was in class at this point, much to his disappointment as he’d enjoyed spending time with her yesterday, but at the same time, it was nice to know they both had Wednesdays off so it could be easily arranged if they wanted to do anything together in the future.</p><p>Arggghhh. He’d skipped some steps there. The stuff going on with him and Rey was incredibly new and didn’t have enough form to start planning dates and shit, not when he didn’t quite know what she wanted from him. She could just want sex which, while fun, wasn’t exactly what he was looking for. He’d had a girlfriend in his first year - Bazine Netal - but they’d just kind of fizzled and she left him for some other guy just before his exams, which hadn’t upset him all that much and gave him a lot of extra time to study. Rey, however, was so unlike anything Bazine had been and Ben found himself wanting something more than simply a bit of fun with her. He wanted something real.</p><p>“I’m not going to get any more work done, am I?” He asked himself, grumpily.</p><p>With a sigh, he stood up and stretched, feeling all the knots and aches that only came from sleeping in an unfamiliar bed for the second night running. He had Finn to thank for that as, due to his and Poe’s insistence on torturing Rey with horror movies for most of the night, she couldn’t actually sleep on her own and wordlessly dragged Ben into her room once they’d decided to call it a night. He didn’t complain and quite enjoyed the feeling of her curled up in his arms. </p><p>“Shit,” he sighed, reaching forward and closing down his word document, finally giving up on the notion of getting any work done while Rey was stuck doing the rounds inside his mind. He remembered the first time he'd seen her, standing in the landing like a rabbit in headlights with a spoon sticking out of her mouth on the day he moved in. It hadn't taken her long to retreat upstairs, taking her ice cream with her but he guessed that it was mainly to make sure she didn't get underfoot. He didn't cut such an imposing figure that he would send anyone running and he could hardly think of any other reason a girl would practically flee at the sight of him. It had amused him, back then, and he still felt the corners of his full lips lift as he thought back.</p><p><em>BzztBzzt</em>. Ben arched an eyebrow at his phone, usually inactive during the day, and stretched across his desk to retrieve it.</p><p>His confusion gave way to a surprising sort of excitement when he saw Rey’s name on the screen, his stomach giving a playful leap. They’d messaged a few times over the time they’d known each other but only really in the house group chat that Poe was inexplicably part of too, and even then it was only really about house stuff like cleaning schedules and groceries. This, however, heralded a whole new chat just for the two of them.</p><p>“<em>Bored. Bored. Bored</em>,” she’d typed.</p><p>He grinned. She had said she had nothing but theory classes today and, as he was quickly learning, she vastly preferred getting her hands dirty. </p><p><em> “You can come do my work instead if you’d rather?” </em>he sent back with a smirk.</p><p>An unaccustomed shout of laughter broke free of his lips at her response, which was simply a selfie of a very unimpressed Rey, resting her cheek on her propped-up hand and all but glaring at him through her camera lens. The ‘I won’t even dignify that suggestion with a response’ energy was strong with this one. Saying that, he thought to himself, she still looked seriously cute, with her sulky pout and hair drawn back into three vertical buns at the back of her head.</p><p>“<em>Sorry,</em>” he responded, still chortling. “<em>Is it that bad</em>?”</p><p>Even though it was something ridiculously small, he still felt a strange kind of excitement he’d rarely experienced as he read <em>Rey is typing… </em>at the top of the chat window.</p><p>“<em>All he’s doing is reading off the slide.  </em></p><p>
  <em>I can do this myself at home.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Send help.”</em>
</p><p>Her responses came short and quick, one after the other and he smirked at her interesting way of communicating, only really used to the more formal way his old friends from the private school he attended used to text. He didn’t speak to them anymore - never really had much in common, to be honest. His fingers paused over the keypad, suddenly hit with a sadness that he couldn’t quite explain or easily forget and it rested heavily upon his shoulders like a shroud, willing him, practically <em> forcing </em>him to place the phone on the desk and refuse to respond. With a deep breath that he sucked in through his teeth, he gave himself a shake and repositioned himself in his chair, pushing that same old loneliness that had sent him seeking the companionship of others down within him before it forced him to remove himself from them. He knew relationships with individuals who were not family were largely temporary, or at least in his experience, and the more he began to connect to people, the lonelier he started to feel, as if he were already mourning their passing. He had briefly wondered if that was what had happened with this ex-girlfriend, but couldn’t be sure. They didn’t speak anymore either. </p><p>He looked down at his phone again, unsure of how to respond for a second. Suddenly smirking, he bit his lip and finally typed a message and hit send. “<em> I can send help in the form of amazing jokes.” </em></p><p>Five seconds later, she began typing: “<em>Give it your best shot, funnyman</em>."</p><p>“<em>How do you know if there’s a triceratops in your fridge</em>?”</p><p>“<em>I don’t know, how?” </em></p><p>“<em>The door won’t shut.</em>” </p><p>Slightly worried about his choice of joke, he placed his phone on the desk next to his keyboard, still unlocked and reopened his word document, with a mind to continue with the coursework that absolutely refused to do itself, no matter how much Ben procrastinated. </p><p>It wasn’t until five minutes had passed that Rey responded and when he peered curiously at the screen, midway through taking a poorly-timed sip from his drink, he sent a spray of water across his computer screen.</p><p><em> “Shit, I laughed out loud during the lecture when everything went quiet and had to explain what was funny</em>. </p><p>
  <em> In front of everyone. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I hate you. </em>
</p><p><em> At least I’m not bored anymore.</em>” </p><p>Eyes streaming with laughter he wasn’t used to, Ben clutched his side even as she sent him another message after she obviously deemed it too long in between messages. </p><p>“<em>You’re bloody laughing aren’t you</em>?”</p><p>He could almost hear her tone, which only really made him laugh harder. </p><p>Calming down enough to control his thumbs, he responded: “<em>Would you believe me if I said I was sorry?” </em> </p><p>“<em>Probably not.</em>”</p><p>“<em>Maybe that’s for the best.” </em> Just as he hit send, he felt another thought take him, so quickly added: <em> “Hey, when do you finish today?”  </em></p><p>
  <em> “I’m in all day. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> 4 pm finish. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Why?” </em>
</p><p><em> “Ah, that’s when I finish. Do you want to go out for dinner tonight? Or I can cook for you again?” </em>He tried to force his fingers to stop shaking as he typed, but when that failed, he instead had to rely on autocorrect to actually have his back. It was one of the rare times it worked as intended, with no input from the chaotic evil goblin he swore lived in his phone. He hit send and then placed the device back down, turning once more to his computer screen.</p><p>He’d written two sentences before his phone vibrated again.</p><p>“<em>That sounds awesome but don’t you have work to do?” </em></p><p>He looked over at the clock. He had three hours until his first class today, so if he managed to get it done before he had to leave, he was golden. Taking Rey out for a meal could be his reward.</p><p>“<em>If I get this paper done by 1, I’ll take you out for dinner later. Deal?” </em></p><p>It was possible, he thought to himself, and would give him some serious incentive to get it done - even if the standard with which it was written would take a pretty serious nosedive. It didn’t matter. His future did not depend on his grades</p><p>Not a minute later, she responded once more, with a single word. Normally, he hated receiving one-word messages but this one made him grin like a fool.</p><p>“<em>Deal.</em>”</p><p>***</p><p>Rey’s eyes glanced up at the clock in the corner and then back down at her phone, still resting innocuously on the desk in front of her, screen unmarked by any new messages. Both clock and phone announced that she only had five minutes left of the lecture to go, and the knowledge that it was the last one of the day had her almost jigging in her seat impatiently. She wasn’t sure what she expected at four, as Ben hadn’t told her if he’d managed to finish his work on time like he’d hoped. Instead, one o’clock came and went without a word from Ben at all, and she’d found herself stuck in the strange, stomach twisting purgatory that was the combination of both excitement and disappointment. She knew she could probably message him and ask but, honestly, Business Management sounded a lot harder to follow than the theory classes that were currently being crammed down her throat and she’d really hate to bother him needlessly. </p><p>Unfortunately, those five minutes felt a lot longer than they should, and by the time her lecturer finally released them, she was grumpy, fed up, and in a generally bad mood.</p><p>Thursdays sucked.</p><p>After thrusting her books and laptop into her satchel, she slung it over her shoulder and joined the humming throng of students that were lumbering toward the doors, wincing slightly as someone stood on the back of her foot, all but pulling her converse off so she stumbled and elbowed the guy in front of her in the ribs. Swearing, she dropped to replace her shoe, her bag slipping from her shoulder while her frustration mounted. </p><p>Once the majority of students passed her, she was able to stand, swing her bag back to her shoulder and continue her dejected trudge from the lecture hall, through the newly built, incredibly modern Engineering building and out into the brisk early October air. Well, at least it wasn’t raining anymore. She paused as the chill hit her, harsher than she expected, and pulled her hoodie tighter around her body in an attempt to ward off the wind before it sliced through to her bones. It didn’t do much, not really, but before she could dwell on it further or continue her walk home regardless, she felt a sudden, surprising weight fall gently onto her shoulders, kind of heavy but very, very warm.</p><p>“You look cold,” muttered a voice above her ear, soft and kind, not to mention familiar in a way that made her shiver. She turned, her eyes flicking up to take in the welcome sight of Ben Solo, who had just placed his thick leather jacket on her shoulders without prompting. He was left wearing a surprisingly rich blue turtleneck and a pair of black jeans, and he looked gorgeous even in the miserable weather, making Rey feel particularly inadequate in her long grey hoodie and leggings combo. “Hey.”</p><p>She smiled and pulled his jacket around herself. “Hey yourself. What are you doing here?”</p><p>Apparently, her grin was infectious because he mirrored her expression before saying, “I’m here to take you out, just like I promised. I managed to get my work done.” He thought for a second. “Well, most of it.”</p><p>Mood already drastically improved, she stepped closer to Ben’s impressive frame and his hands lighted upon her back, touch impossibly gentle, almost hesitant as if afraid she’d disappear if he exerted too much pressure. Again, she marvelled at his height and the difference between them. He entirely dwarfed her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”</p><p>He shrugged. “I guess I wanted to surprise you. Lucky your building is so close to mine, to be honest, I thought for a second I’d missed you.”</p><p>She flicked her heel up and motioned to it with her head. “Some jerk stepped on my shoe and I had to sort it out, otherwise you might’ve done.” She grinned as she placed her foot back down on the ground. “So, where are we going?” </p><p>“I’ve got the perfect place.”</p><p>***</p><p>Not far from the university campus but on the opposite side of it from their home, sat a cute little Japanese-style restaurant - not high-end or classy or anything but pleasant and well respected - that served some of the most amazing bento boxes Ben had ever had the joy of experiencing. However, despite his excitement, it was still early for dinner so they took their time and walked the long way across town, popping into their local coffee shop on their way and talking as they went. </p><p>Ben quickly found that he enjoyed listening to Rey talk and happily kept quiet as she chatted about her hometown - which was somewhere close to London if he had his geography right -, her former foster father Unkar Plutt, her best friend Rose who had, in turn, moved to England from the states when she was eight and all the things she hoped for in the future. Apparently, she practically wanted her very own menagerie. </p><p>“So, let me get this straight,” Ben was saying, taking a sip of his coffee. “You want two huskies,  three cats, two ferrets, two chinchillas, hamsters, rats, and an iguana?”</p><p>“You forgot the cow in the field called Bessie,” she reminded him with a laugh.</p><p>“Is that name negotiable?” </p><p>Again, she snickered at his tone. “Nope!” With a flourish, she threw her empty coffee cup in the bin nearby and then glanced over to him out of the corner of her eye. “Honestly, you’re surprisingly easy to talk to but you don’t share much, do you?”</p><p><em> Ah </em>. He mimicked her arm but instead of landing in the bin as hers did, his coffee cup bounced off the rim and fell to the floor where it rolled right toward him as if mocking his pathetic throw. Dutifully, even as Rey laughed beside him, he picked it up and ensured, this time, it stayed where he put it. “I don’t really have much to say.” </p><p>She obviously wasn’t going to let him get away with that response because she sidled up close to him, hooking her arm within his, that same small smile decorating her perfect pink lips. “Is your name short for Benjamin or Benedict?”</p><p>“Benjamin.”</p><p>“Where were you born?” </p><p>“A small town called Chandrila.” </p><p>“Do you have any middle names?”</p><p>“One. Lucas.”</p><p>“Do you have any siblings?” </p><p>“Nope.” He realised, despite his usual desire to keep things about himself as private as possible due to his grandfather’s company, he really didn’t mind Rey’s new question game and, although his answers were short, he discovered he was enjoying himself.</p><p>“What’s your favourite colour?”</p><p>“Red.” </p><p>“Do you have any pets?” </p><p>“I have a dog called Sabre back home.” </p><p>“What kind of dog?”</p><p>He smiled. “Husky.”</p><p>He didn’t miss her bright smile as she moved onto the next question. “What do your parents do?”</p><p>He winced. <em> Oh, here we go </em>. “My mom works in my grandfather’s company.”</p><p>She clearly was not one to be dissuaded and even though he quite liked that trait in her, he felt a little put out by her probing about this particular matter.  “And your dad?” </p><p>With a sigh, he gave her a resigned look but spoke up anyway, sharing a fact that he’d wanted to keep quiet for as long as possible. “He works at the university.”</p><p>After she spent a second absorbing this information, she suddenly stopped, her eyes bugging out of their sockets as she finally put two and two together and arrived at four. “Hang on, your <em> father </em> is-” <em> Yep </em> “- <em> Han Solo?! </em>” </p><p>He nodded, and then his expression became pleading. “Please don’t say anything to anyone. Solo isn’t that rare of a name but I don’t want <em> everyone </em> to know I’m the son of the infamous performing arts professor.”</p><p>“Oh, you want to keep your <em> serious </em>Ben Solo reputation intact, eh?”</p><p>“Something like that.”</p><p>Rey laughed and continued walking at his side. “Y’know, most of the university has heard of his antics… and we’re pretty jealous we don’t get to see it all first hand.”</p><p>Ben gave a little snort. “He’s different at home. I guess I should be thankful that his infamy only really extends as far as the campus line.”</p><p>They then finally shifted their walk toward the restaurant, deeming their diversion long enough to warrant dinner, and their conversation drifted from him and his family to other professors within the university. Once again Ben was struck by how fun it was to spend time with Rey like this and felt himself lighter than he could remember being. For once, his grandfather was far from his thoughts. </p><p>It was close to half five by the time they reached the restaurant and Ben was starving, having made the foolish decision to not eat lunch when he had the chance to. Once they stepped inside and were shown to their table, Ben pulled a chair out for Rey and she blinked at him owlishly for a second before she smiled and ducked her head, settling herself into the seat with a very attractive blush colouring her cheeks and ears. He was making her shy. Smiling at that piece of information, Ben settled himself in the chair opposite her and accepted the menu from the waiter, despite already knowing exactly what he wanted to eat. </p><p>After they ordered their food and drink, Rey selecting a teriyaki steak soba while Ben opted for a more hearty sukiyaki, they continued talking as if nothing had even interrupted them, slipping back into the comfortable to and fro they had discovered was as easy as breathing to them. His face felt unused to the grin that had been almost permanently plastered there, cheeks beginning to ache as his stomach tensed with yet more strangely sincere laughter as Rey recounted a particularly shameful story of her drinking escapades. It never occurred to him that Rey had gone from being able to legally drink in the UK, to suddenly being underage in the US, and he suddenly realised how frustrating it must be for her. It also explained why she was able to hold her tequila quite so well the other night. </p><p>That was definitely a fond memory he would revisit as much as possible.</p><p>Their meals arrived, along with a couple of delectable sides, and the conversation still somehow managed to hold its own around the food, though this time, they had found themselves on the subject of exes. </p><p>“I’ve been single since…” Rey was saying, gently stabbing her cheek with her chopsticks. “Since I left England, actually. I had a boyfriend but he broke up with me the day before I came here, not wanting to try long distance.”</p><p>“Ouch, I’m sorry,” Ben answered, grimacing. He meant it for the most part; hearing that Rey had been hurt by someone made him feel pretty crappy, but also hearing that she was long enough unattached was definitely a good thing. </p><p>She shrugged. “Rose told me he’d had a new girlfriend a week after I left so it’s no big loss.” </p><p>An eyebrow arched. “He moved on that quickly?”</p><p>Taking another bite of food, Rey leaned forward a little conspiratorially before saying, “I think it’s more likely to say he was already fucking her before he broke up with me.” </p><p>A shock of rage shot through him then, so strong that it almost floored him completely, and, with a deep breath that he masked by picking up his drink, he tried to centre himself again. Fortunately, Rey had not seemed to have noticed.</p><p>“Asshole,” he muttered once his rage had abated enough for the tremor he knew would be in his voice to disappear.</p><p>Rey snorted. “Oh, he was a complete wanker, sure, but, back then, that was my type.”</p><p>Ben picked up a piece of finely sliced beef with his chopsticks as he grinned at her. “What’s your type now?” </p><p>With a look that would’ve made his knees totally give up if he were standing, Rey cocked her head to one side as if carefully thinking. “Tall, sweet, considerate men with dark eyes, dark hair, and a taste for tequila? Know anyone like that?”</p><p>He grinned one more time. “I’ll put some feelers out.”</p><p>Once again looking shyly down at their food, they lapsed into a thoughtful silence which Rey broke a moment later. “What about you? When was your last relationship?"</p><p>“First year,” responded Ben, blandly. ”Her name was Bazine and was the daughter of an old family friend. We went out for about eight months but eventually, she just decided she didn’t want to see me anymore and left, just before the exam period.”</p><p>“That’s awful timing,” she observed.</p><p>With a laugh, Ben shook his head. “On the contrary, I had a lot more time to study. She was, ah, high maintenance? To be honest, it was a match of convenience for both of us - my grandfather approved of us spending time together, and it’s… best if he’s kept happy.”</p><p>“You don’t talk about your grandpa much, I’ve noticed.”</p><p>He winced. “Yeah, it’s not a pleasant topic and not one I really wanna get into on our first date.”</p><p>“Oh, so this is a date, is it?”</p><p>Ben smirked. “I thought that was a given, Rey.” He liked the way her name felt on his tongue. “You saying you wouldn’t have said yes if you’d known?”</p><p>“Maybe, maybe not,” she told him with feigned flippancy, which she then countered with a quick grin. “It depends entirely on your intentions here.”</p><p>She was asking him what he wanted from her, be it sex or something more, and he felt his mouth go a little dry at the thought of giving her his honest answer, anxiety instead pleading with him to stay quiet. He worried about her rejecting him, that she wasn’t interested in him for anything more than sex, which was fine but, not quite what he had in mind.</p><p>He carefully crafted his face into a mask of calm, practised daily while working for his grandfather, and smiled.</p><p>Here goes nothing. “My intention, as you put it, is to get to know you better. I’m not interested in this kind of thing, hanging out and dating, just for sex and... I really like you, Rey.”</p><p>After a heartbeat of silence where she clearly mulled over his reply while Ben tried to slow his pounding heart, her face split into a beatific smile and she reached for her drink, only to lift it and present it to him. “To getting to know each other better.”</p><p>***</p><p>Rey couldn’t remember the last time she felt so disappointed to be back home. As the pair approached the house, their knuckles brushing in a way practically sent shocks of energy between them, she could see the lights were on in the hallway and lounge, effectively telegraphing that Finn and probably Poe were in the communal areas. </p><p>“They’re gonna ask so many questions,” they both grumbled in unison. </p><p>Blushing, she looked up at him through the corner of her eye, at his slightly worried but gorgeous profile, and felt her throat tighten at the recent memory of him, explaining to her in his deep baritone that he didn’t want just sex, that he <em> really </em>liked her. While her first reaction was to be happy, she couldn’t halt the apprehensive winds from sweeping it all away with all its sense-speaking bluster. She liked him, enormously, but Rose’s warnings still echoed in her mind. She’d have to call her, to ask for her advice. Though she had a feeling she already knew what it was gonna be.</p><p>Hesitating for only a moment, with concerned eyebrows and worried eyes shot back at Rey, he pushed open the door. After a second, his face morphed into one of dismay, and entered the house, shouting as he went. “Jeez, what are you guys doing?! Attempting to burn the place down?”</p><p>It wasn’t until Rey passed the threshold that she understood what Ben was talking about. The air that filled the apartment was heavy with smoke and the stink of burnt food, while the smoke detectors above them screeched wildly to whoever would listen that ALL WAS MOST DEFINITELY NOT WELL. She could hear bickering coming from the back of the house. Wrinkling her nose, she followed Ben down the corridor to the kitchen where Poe and Finn were standing, in dressing gowns, both with identical looks of shame, surprise, and panic painted on their features with the backdoor and the windows wide open. On the countertop next to them sat a sad lump of charcoal that Rey belatedly realised was supposed to be a loaf of bread, and immediately put the whole situation together with a gleeful giggle that had Ben looking at her with raised eyebrows. </p><p>“Did someone get a bit busy and forget about the bread being baked?” she chortled. Both men, to her utter delight, looked at each other for a second before their gaze shifted to the floor, shuffling their feet. </p><p>“Maybe,” Poe grumbled, his ears bright red. “Tried to surprise Finn.”</p><p>“Think you managed that,” sniggered Ben. </p><p>“Come on, let’s get this gone.” Still giggling, Rey grabbed the oven gloves that were resting on the counter, seized the still warm lump of ex-bread, and took it outside. Briefly considering placing it lovingly on the patio like some monument to her housemate’s forgetfulness, she instead flung it in the bin. She returned to Ben leaving the kitchen with a dishtowel, presumably to start wafting the air in front of the smoke detector and stop that infernal wailing while Finn and Poe cleaned up the kitchen, giving each other furtive looks. </p><p>Suddenly, as Ben shuffled back into the kitchen and approached Rey with an amused twinkle in his eye, Poe straightened as if he’d been electrocuted, whipping his head around to stare at the pair. “Hold your horses, did you two come home <em> together </em>?!” he looked at the clock above the door and his face split into a huge grin. “At nearly nine? Didn’t you guys finish classes five hours ago?” </p><p>Finn slowly turned his head, an extremely smug expression settling upon his features, brown eyes alight with humour. “That, babe, is an extremely good point.” </p><p>Instantly, Rey turned, clapped Ben on the shoulder in what she hoped was a friendly manner, and exclaimed, “welp! Is that the time? I gotta call Rose before it gets too late in England! Goodnight guys! Have fun cleaning!” Without a heartbeat of hesitation, she turned and fled.</p><p>Once she’d shed her clothes, cleaned up for bed, and donned her pyjamas, it was slightly after quarter past nine, which meant it was just a little past two in the morning over the pond. She winced slightly, but knowing Rose, she had a feeling she’d still be up, especially on a Thursday evening when they usually had their late-night call. Fortunately, Rey always called through Whatsapp, so their calls were always free.</p><p>Rose answered on the third ring. “<em>I was beginning to think you weren’t gonna call,” </em> she said as a greeting, her voice light and cheerful. Rey flopped back on her bed, feeling all the scattered pieces of her slowly start to float back together in a way that only Rose could manage, and after all that had happened over the last few days, it was desperately needed.</p><p>“Hey, bitch. Sorry about the lateness of the call.”</p><p>“<em>You’d better be sorry</em>,” Rose gave a feigned yawn as she spoke. “<em>Do you know how many hours of sleep I’m giving up for you</em>?” </p><p>Rey grinned. She and Rose had been friends for years, having met when the latter, her older sister Paige and their parents had flown to the UK when Rey and Rose were both barely past eight years old. They’d made friends quickly, Rey new to school due to changing foster homes yet again, and Rose new to the country in general, and had stuck together by default and stayed together thanks to their connection and deep abiding friendship. This had been the way for eight years until Rose’s parents needed to return home, and the girls were inconsolable. Two years after this, Rey announced she had received her inheritance from the grandfather she’d never met as soon as she’d turned eighteen and was moving to the US for college, on the very same call that Rose announced that she’d gotten a place at Cambridge University and was once again moving back to the UK and the pair all but switched places merely a month of each other.</p><p>“Clearly far too many. You’re a grumpy cow,” Rey quipped back.  </p><p><em> “You know you love me really </em>.” </p><p>Rey smiled. “How have you been? It feels like forever since I spoke to you.” </p><p>“<em>Can’t complain too much but </em> god<em>, I want to. I’m already knee-deep in my dissertation planning and the semester has only just started. This year is going to suck </em> .” Rose sounded entirely grumpy at the prospect of so much work but Rey knew better. She would smash it out of the park as she always did, and Rey couldn’t be prouder. “<em>But enough about me, how are you</em>?” </p><p>“I’m okay, good, even.” She bit her lip. “And I kind of need to talk to you.” </p><p><em> “Uh oh, that sounds serious. You knocked up? </em>”</p><p>Rey laughed, suddenly. “No, no, not that. For that, I’d have to have sex and it definitely hasn’t gotten that far… yet.” </p><p>“<em>Whoa, girl! Okay, spill. What’s been going on? Who’s the guy? </em>”</p><p>Here we go. Hesitating a little, Rey regaled Rose on her newfound… <em> something </em>… she was experiencing with Ben, slowly at first as she gauged Rose’s reaction, but once it sounded as if she wasn’t about to launch into a massive lecture, she pressed fast forward on her story, like ripping off a plaster. “And we’ve just gotten in from the date… that’s it so far.”</p><p>Rose sighed. “<em>I kinda knew you’d totally disregard my advice </em> .” She didn’t sound annoyed or upset, maybe a little bit despairing but Rey incited that reaction quite a lot from many people. It was when they said <em> Rey </em> in that particular tone that had her grinning sheepishly like an idiot. “ <em> But I get it. My experiences won’t necessarily be yours but, seriously Rey, </em> be careful. <em> It’s all rainbows and unicorns to begin with but shit can go wrong. Usually, it does.” </em></p><p>Rey nodded and then belatedly realised that her friend couldn’t see that so said, “I know and I’ll keep my head - or at least try to.” </p><p>“<em>What’s he like</em>?” Rose suddenly asked, her grumpy demeanour fading as quickly as it appeared.</p><p>Rey giggled, shyly. “<em>Tall. </em> Handsome. Built like a brick shit house.” </p><p>“<em>Oh, so your type?” </em></p><p>“Girl, I want to climb him like a tree.” </p><p>Rose cackled over the line. “<em>Oh, after the shitstorm your romantic past has been, you deserve some good old-fashioned tree climbing.”  </em></p><p>Still, that idiotic smile never faded from her lips as Rey reached up and grabbed one of her pillows, the one Ben had loaned for the last two nights, and brought it into the circle of her arms, breathing in the faint scent he’d left behind, even as Rose nattered on the other end of the call. She felt calmer, more confident about this whole situation, especially with Rose’s backing, and the excited bubble that she hadn’t really allowed herself to feel in its entirety started to make itself known, no longer content with being ignored or physically pushed down. She shut her eyes and flicked the call on to loudspeaker so she could just listen to her best friend talk about date ideas, complain about university, and as always dream about the future where they could finally end this ‘being separated by an ocean’ nonsense. </p><p>“Did I ever tell you I love you, Rose?” </p><p>“<em>Not today.” </em> She heard the smile in her best friend's voice. “<em>Love you too, bish.” </em></p><p>
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